Davis-based startup Marrone Organic Innovations Inc. announced Wednesday that it has secured $3.75 million in private financing from a collection of venture capital firms and individuals.

The funding windfall was roughly double the target that CEO Pam Marrone had stated in several media reports over the last year.  read more »

Freepath empowers presenters by enabling them to integrate any media type be it PDFs, photos, videos, virtual reality files, live web sites, or Excel spreadsheets into a Powerpoint presentation. The software also easily integrates with popular webcasting apps like GoToMeeting, Webex, or LiveMeeting.  read more »

Mutant Logic, the El Dorado Hills startup, which has developed software that allows makers of integrated circuits to analyze chip designs has secured $500,000 in funding from local angel investors. In addition, the company has signed a licensing deal with UCD, a milestone for a campus that's been pushing to convert its research into commercial ventures.  read more »

A few months back Tom Shields of Woodside Funds wrote a post for VentureBeat on investing principles for web 2.0 companies. Nisan Gabbay of Startup Review subsequently distilled it down into 7 indicators of consumer Internet success. Let me suggest only 5 keys to success.  read more »

Tonight Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the global venture capital firm, literally rocked the house during his presentation to Techcoire. Upon closing his entertaining discussion "Change the World" Tim closed with a lively rendition of his rock n roll song about typical entrepreneurial adventures.  read more »